Elevator Sweep BJJ: White Belt Biomechanical Guide
☰Contents
Master the Elevator Sweep with this precise BJJ guide. Learn biomechanics, avoid injuries, and drill effectively. For white belts.
White
The Elevator Sweep initiates from Closed Guard, aiming to elevate your opponent's hips and swing your legs underneath to create a sweep.
White belts often struggle due to a lack of precise hip and shoulder mechanics, relying on brute force instead of leverage.
The key is understanding how to use your opponent's weight against them by creating a fulcrum with your hips and driving upwards.
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Grips & Mechanics
- Establish a strong closed guard: Both hooks are locked around your opponent's waist, knees pressing inwards towards their hips.
- Grip control: Secure a cross-collar grip with your right hand on their left lapel, and a sleeve grip with your left hand on their right sleeve.
- Create posture break: Pull down on the collar grip and push their sleeve away with your left hand, forcing them to lean forward and break their posture.
- Hip elevation: As they lean forward, simultaneously drive your hips UPWARDS off the mat, aiming your tailbone towards the ceiling.
- Leg insertion: While your hips are elevated, use your left leg (the one on the same side as the collar grip) to swing inwards and under their corresponding hip.
- Hook repositioning: As your left leg goes under their hip, your right leg will naturally follow, creating a "cradle" around their torso.
- Sweep execution: Continue driving your hips upwards and slightly to your left, while simultaneously pulling their upper body down with your collar grip, forcing them to fall over your elevated hips.
⚠️ White Belt Warnings
- Attempting to "muscle" the sweep by pulling excessively with arms and shoulders: This can cause rotator cuff tears or shoulder impingement due to hyperextension.
- Not elevating hips sufficiently, leading to a "rolling" motion instead of an "elevator": This can result in lumbar spine hyperextension or facet joint strain.
- Allowing knees to splay outwards during hip elevation, creating a weak base: This can lead to knee valgus stress, potentially damaging the MCL.
Drill Progressions
- Solo drill (0%): Practice the hip elevation and leg insertion movement without a partner, focusing on the hip lift and inward swing of the legs.
- Partner drill, no resistance (25%): With a compliant partner, practice the entire sequence, focusing on grip acquisition, posture break, hip elevation, and leg insertion.
- Partner drill, light resistance (50%): Partner offers minimal resistance by keeping a slightly broken posture, allowing you to feel the timing of the hip drive.
- Partner drill, increasing resistance (75%): Partner actively tries to maintain posture, requiring more precise grip fighting and hip drive to initiate the sweep.
- Controlled rolling (90%): Spar with a partner who understands the technique, allowing for minor adjustments and reactions.
- Live rolling (100%): Attempt the Elevator Sweep during a live roll, accepting that it may not always be successful.
When to Use & Counters
- WHEN TO ATTEMPT:
- When your opponent is postured up and leaning forward slightly.
- When you have secured a strong cross-collar and sleeve grip.
- When your opponent is not actively trying to pass your guard with heavy pressure.
- PRIMARY COUNTERS:
- Posture Up: If the opponent senses the sweep, they can immediately drive their hips back and regain a strong upright posture, negating the leverage.
- Hip Escape/Shrimping: If you fail to get the leg insertion, the opponent can quickly hip escape away, creating distance and preventing the sweep.
- Knee Slice or Stack Pass: An aggressive guard passer can immediately transition to a knee slice or stack pass if they feel the sweep attempt is failing.
Related Video
Watch step-by-step breakdowns from black belt instructors:
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📋 Competition Rules
⚙️ Recommended Gear
Common BJJ Problems & FAQ
Your back likely hurts because you are not achieving sufficient hip elevation off the mat. Instead of driving your hips upwards like a piston, you might be arching your lower back excessively. Focus on engaging your glutes and core to lift your pelvis, creating a flatter, more stable base for the sweep.
Against a larger opponent, focus on breaking their posture as much as possible before attempting the sweep. Use your grips to pull their head down and their hips forward. When you elevate your hips, use your entire body weight and leverage, rather than just muscular strength, to create the necessary angle to insert your leg.
This usually happens when you don't commit fully to the hip elevation and leg insertion. If you hesitate, your opponent can plant their knees and establish a strong base, allowing them to knee-on-belly or stack pass. You must drive your hips up and aggressively swing your leg under their hip simultaneously, creating an immediate sweeping motion.
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🥋 Landed your first Elevator Sweep? Log every tap.
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